Expect heightened security Wednesday night in Vancouver as hundreds of thousands head downtown

Zoe McKnight, Vancouver Sun07.30.2013

The Vancouver Police mounted squad patrol on horseback prior to the fireworks display from the United Kingdom at the Honda Celebration of Light English Bay, Vancouver, July 27 2013.Gerry Kahrmann
/ PNG

Vancouver Police and emergency service patrol the beach as people gather to watch the fireworks display from the United Kingdom at the Honda Celebration of Light English Bay, Vancouver, July 27 2013Gerry Kahrmann
/ PNG

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VANCOUVER -- Police, ambulance, fire and other emergency services are working together to manage the hundreds of thousands of people set to converge on downtown Vancouver tonight.

With nearly 60,000 Jay Z and Justin Timberlake fans attending the sold-out concert at BC Place, a potential 400,000 people lining the beaches and streets for the Celebration of Light fireworks, and the Davie Street strip packed for Pride events, first responders and city managers are coordinating their efforts at crowd control and emergency planning.

There will be “hundreds” of extra officers on the street, said Const. Brian Montague of the Vancouver police department. For security reasons, he won’t divulge how many exactly.

“It’s safe to say for all the officers (people) will see as they come to the events, there are also officers they don’t see,” he said.

Officers are being called in for mandatory extra shifts “because we need the manpower,” Montague said, and some are paired with BC Ambulance paramedics. Police, including those from jurisdictions outside Vancouver, will patrol by car and boat, on foot, horseback, bicycle, helicopter and on all-terrain vehicles for a late-night sweep of the beach.

Once the fireworks are over, officers could be deployed to the concert fans or vice versa — whichever ends first — to help with dispersing the crowds.

“When you have large groups remaining in one area, you have the potential for problems, so we will move those large groups along,” Montague said.

On Saturday night, an estimated 300,000 people descended upon English Bay to watch the fireworks display. Police focused on liquor enforcement, pouring out 612 bottles of alcohol, seizing 35 others, issuing 135 tickets and making nine arrests for public intoxication. People were “generally good-natured and well-behaved,” officials said later.

Vancouver police, along with Transit police, spread out as far as SkyTrain stations in Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster and Vancouver.

Transit police made 13 arrests and 53 liquor pour-outs, which they said was “three to four times less than the norm for these events.”

Anne Drennan of the Transit police said while the force does not disclose its staffing numbers, “additional officers” are deployed. But besides amping up security, TransLink also adds additional buses and staff along busy routes to help deliver people out of the downtown.

Up to 40 buses could be added in Vancouver, depending on crowd estimates, said spokesman Derek Zabel. Others could be added at the end of the line, such as King George station in Surrey. The last trains leave Waterfront station around 1:15 a.m.

TransLink also adds transit supervisors on the street who can order new buses if crowds start to form, and additional SkyTrain service for the post-event rush “to clear people out of the area as quickly as possible.”

In order to prevent an interruption to 911 services, six paramedics on bicycles will ride around in teams of two, each carrying five panniers full of gear, said Jamie Grant, a bike squad team leader and special operations paramedic with B.C. Ambulance Service. ATVs known as “gators” can remove someone in distress.

“We can respond to congested areas and big crowds like the Celebration of Lights to make sure the 911 system is not interrupted,” said Grant. “Obviously ambulances can’t rip through the big crowds.”

During last year’s fireworks series, medics on bikes responded to 66 calls, he said.

Officials from police, ambulance, fire and TransLink, as well as city engineering, parks and communications departments will congregate in an emergency operations centre in the E-Comm building in East Van that also houses the 911 dispatch service for Metro Vancouver, said Deputy City Manager Sadhu Johnston.

From there, a crew of about 20 will monitor the news and closed-circuit television to keep an eye on the crowds. The larger the crowd, the higher potential risk to public safety, Johnston said, adding any event application must describe an emergency management plan before city approval is granted.

The risk assessment process became more strict after the Stanley Cup Riots, he said. A coordinated safety plan would include everything from evacuation routes and liquor interdiction to child reunification or cancellation procedures.

An additional 65 cabs will be out on the street Wednesday night and other special event days, said the Vancouver Taxi Association’s Carolyn Bauer.

The City of Vancouver and police send messages to the companies with road closures and blockades, which are passed on to drivers along with reminders to “be patient, slow down, take your time,” Bauer said.

And while drivers welcome the extra fares, “you don’t want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Kulwant Sahota, president of Yellow Cab.

Over the weekend, he got stuck in the middle of the intersection at Denman and Comox streets — for half an hour.

“People were walking over my hood and the back of my car,” he said. “They do not care. Thousands of people walking; you’ve got to be careful.”

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Expect heightened security Wednesday night in Vancouver as hundreds of thousands head downtown

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